A sense of suffocation hit. Xie Bingxia grabbed at Gu Bei's left hand with both hands. Her small face was flushed red from straining, looking extremely pained.
Gu Bei suddenly came to his senses and let go. Xie Bingxia quickly took a few steps back, coughing non - stop.
"What on earth are you doing?" Xie Bingxia covered her throat. "Do you want to kill me?"
"Heh, if I could kill you with my own hands, it wouldn't be so bad." Gu Bei mocked himself. After the ferocity, there was endless sorrow. "I once told myself that no matter who you were, as long as you were by my side, I could let bygones be bygones."
"But you just won't listen. You insisted on running away from me!" Gu Bei grabbed the iron bars, his body trembling. "You're so stubborn. Do you want me to strip you of your last layer of skin?"
"What... what are you talking about? I don't understand..."
"I've investigated the orphanage you stayed in the United States. All the records are forged, and your paternity test is also fake!" Gu Bei took out a tuft of hair in a transparent sealed bag from his pocket. "I had your hair tested again for DNA. You're not the old man's descendant at all!"
Xie Bingxia stared at the hair in the sealed bag and subconsciously touched the missing part of her hair. Even though she had always been extremely careful, deliberately leaving no obvious traces of her life, she still couldn't escape the shrewd Gu Bei.
No, if Gu Bei really wanted to investigate her DNA, how could he not find any material? They had spent so many nights in each other's arms.
Suddenly, Xie Bingxia realized that Gu Bei didn't suspect her. He simply didn't care who she was. Whether he investigated her background or not didn't matter.
"Who exactly are you?" Gu Bei asked again. Xie Bingxia gave a nonchalant smile. "What kind of answer do you want from me?"
"..."
"It doesn't matter who I am, right? You never regarded me as a member of the Xie family from the start. What role do you want me to play now? Your lover? Your captive? Or... a substitute for your old lover?"
Gu Bei said sharply, "I want you to stay by my side. You're not allowed to go anywhere!"
"Sorry, I can't do that." Xie Bingxia said coldly. "Since you've investigated this far, you should know that I had other motives when I used to curry favor with you."
"So what?" Gu Bei's answer surprised Xie Bingxia. "Once I, Gu Bei, make an effort, I must get results. Whether it's your heart or your body, I'll get one of them."
Xie Bingxia couldn't believe it and shouted, "You're crazy!"
Gu Bei smiled faintly. "Do you want to get out of here?" He took out a second cigarette from his cigarette case, lit it. "I'll help you clear your name. You just need to agree to my conditions."
Xie Bingxia bit her lower lip, determined not to give in. There was complete silence.
"Think it over carefully, but you don't have much time. Based on the current evidence, the police have identified you as the murderer. If no more evidence is found, the case will be settled."
Gu Bei took the last puff of his cigarette, crushed the cigarette butt against the wall, and left without looking back.
It wasn't until he walked out of the detention center that Gu Bei dropped all his pretense and took a deep breath. He took out the sealed bag with Xie Bingxia's hair from his pocket again.
He had indeed had the hair tested for DNA, but deep down, the person he really wanted to compare it with wasn't Old Master Xie.
— Xia Jingwei.
No, no, no. How could it be? Gu Bei started to deny himself again. Jingwei had passed away two years ago. Even if she hadn't died, how could she have become Xie Bingxia? Leaving aside their looks, their ages were too different...
Gu Bei couldn't deny that in some aspects, Xie Bingxia was really similar to Xia Jingwei. For example, the subtle changes in her expressions, the hardly noticeable tone words, and the reactions of her body during intimacy. But all these weren't enough to prove that she was Xia Jingwei. Gu Bei would rather simply believe it was a coincidence. No matter what Xie Bingxia's identity was, he was willing to whole - heartedly accept and love her.
But what if a miracle had happened? Now the opportunity to find out the truth was in his hands. Should he give it a try?
"Boss! Boss!" Secretary Zhang got out of the car parked by the roadside in a hurry, holding Gu Bei's phone. "Your phone has been ringing non - stop."
Gu Bei remembered that he wasn't allowed to bring his phone into the detention center, so he had left it outside. Seeing an unfamiliar number, he couldn't help but feel suspicious.
"Hello, is this Boss Gu?" Gu Bei really didn't want to hear this voice again. He replied impatiently, "Boss Chen, it's been a long time since we last contacted."
Boss Chen Laojiu laughed heartily. "Boss Gu, don't you miss me?"
Gu Bei wanted to tell him to get to the point quickly, but instead, he replied politely, "Boss Chen, you called in a hurry. What's the matter?"
"Well, I heard you've run into some trouble. Do you want me to help you solve it? I've got something here that can prove your woman's innocence..."
Gu Bei lowered his eyes and said, "What do you want?"
Chen Laojiu put away his joking tone and said seriously, "I want the Golden Wharf project."
In the next few days, Xie Bingxia endured a great deal of pain. She either stared at the sky in the detention center or was called to the interrogation room for questioning. The police hadn't found any new clues and regarded the fingerprints on the murder weapon as the only evidence. They intended to break down Xie Bingxia's psychological defense and make her confess voluntarily.
The non - stop interrogations had made her lose weight. Helplessness was gradually destroying her will.
On the fifth day, she was lying on the spring bed. Whenever she faintly heard footsteps approaching, a tiny spark of hope would ignite in her heart.
"Time for dinner." It was the prison guard bringing food. The spark of hope immediately went out completely.
It was strange. She both hoped that Gu Bei would rescue her and didn't want to have anything to do with him anymore. — Heh, humans are really contradictory creatures. Xie Bingxia curled up into a ball, facing the wall.
"You have to eat." The deep voice struck Xie Bingxia's heart. By the time she realized that it was really Gu Bei, her eyes were already moist.
"Have you made up your mind?" Gu Bei asked. Xie Bingxia turned over and sat up. She shuffled over to the iron bars and looked into Gu Bei's eyes. "As long as you get me out of here, I promise I'll never leave you."
Gu Bei smiled triumphantly. "I'll come to pick you up tomorrow."
The next day, Gu Bei kept his promise, and Xie Bingxia was released smoothly. She walked out of the detention center's gate, bathed in the sunlight, and breathed in the fresh air she hadn't smelled for a long time.
Gu Bei was waiting for her at the gate. He opened the passenger - side door. "Get in the car."
The SUV sped along the highway. Xie Bingxia asked, "Where are you taking me?"
Gu Bei pretended to be mysterious. "You'll know when we get there."
When she was released, the police explained to Xie Bingxia that they had found new evidence. It was another surveillance video provided by the hotel owner, which showed a man dragging the unconscious Xie Bingxia and Zhao Qi into separate rooms. When he came out, he was covered in a large amount of blood. Obviously, this man was the prime suspect.
It was clear that this case was a conspiracy.
Xie Bingxia was very smart. She asked again, "What did you exchange for the surveillance video?"
"The Golden Wharf project." Gu Bei said it casually. "I gave it to Chen Laojiu."
"How could you..." Xie Bingxia was very angry. But her body was extremely exhausted. Otherwise, she would definitely have jumped up and fought with Gu Bei.
"For one thing, I never intended to take on this project. For another, without this project, I can send Li Yishan back to the United States, and she won't have to worry anymore. Killing two birds with one stone. Why not?"
"Did Chen Laojiu send someone to set up this case?"
"Who cares? Let the police investigate."
Xie Bingxia couldn't believe that Gu Bei, who always got to the bottom of things, was now being a hands - off manager. She only heard him say, "You're more important now."
"..." Xie Bingxia fell silent and turned to look out of the car window. Just because Gu Bei didn't investigate didn't mean she would let it go and not seek the truth. Moreover... Xie Bingxia stole a glance at the man in the driver's seat.
The revenge was not over yet.
The drive took more than five hours. In the afternoon, they reached their destination. As soon as Xie Bingxia got out of the car and saw the familiar manor, she couldn't move her feet.
This was the place where Gu Bei and Xia Jingwei had their first long - distance trip. It was also where she had accepted Gu Bei's confession and truly established their romantic relationship.